Tanya Doran
By TANYA DORAN
Executive Director, Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce
My heart aches, along with many others in our community, for the TECO family who lost two team members in a tragic accident last week and to the families of the four men who suffered life-threatening injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Last week, we also lost Fran Harring, an active community member who died unexpectedly from an aneurysm. For many years, she and her late husband, Tony, operated a small business producing name badges and signs. Tony manufactured the products while Fran focused on marketing their services. You could often find Fran at local networking events and volunteering her time to help others.
Before opening their business, Tony had retired from the military and Fran served faithfully as a dutiful military wife. She truly understood the challenges military life brings and joyfully dedicated her time to serve on committees with a focus of supporting our military and their families.
There are moments when someone comes into your life and you know right away he or she was meant to be there. They serve some sort of purpose in your life and teach you. Fran was one of these people in my life.
She was someone who you could count on. If she told you she was going to take care of something, you knew she’d get the job done and done well. She took her obligations seriously and had the courage to say, “No.” She never overcommitted.
The one thing I will always remember about Fran was her ability and strength to be open, direct and honest. She would share her thoughts to help us improve and do better. Fran was great at identifying details we simply overlooked and often had a solution for how to remedy a problem the next time.
She was an experienced and wise woman, one who was never afraid to share her opinion and always spoke the truth, even if the truth was tough to hear. In my opinion, today’s world could use a few more folks like her. She left us wanting more. She will be missed.
At the chamber’s monthly membership meeting last week, members were shocked to learn Fran was gone. Some expressed she had been on their minds lately, and they wished they had taken the time to call her.
This was a poignant reminder that we don’t know what tomorrow has in store for us or even if there will be a tomorrow. So take time this week to connect with someone in your life who makes an impact and let them know how much you appreciate them.
